


Like Magnets

by TaymeeLove



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, I spell his name viktor, M/M, setting ;; new york, viktor and otabek are cousins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-24
Updated: 2017-05-24
Packaged: 2018-11-04 14:46:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10993092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TaymeeLove/pseuds/TaymeeLove
Summary: Soulmate AUWhere a person cannot physically kiss someone who isn’t their soulmate, like they’re repelled by the forces of the universebased fromthis post"You've got to try this new restaurant I found."The words were spoke by his best friend and cousin Viktor, and Otabek never imagined in his wildest dreams that those nine little words would change his life forever.





	Like Magnets

**Author's Note:**

> Beta-ed by Clare and Chrissy. 
> 
> Art by [PencilTrash](http://penciltrash.tumblr.com). Their Ao3 [here](http://archiveofourown.org/users/PencilTrash/pseuds/PencilTrash).

Years ago, something in people changed, it make them repel from anyone that wasn't their soulmate when they tried to kiss, the reverse for those who were. Like magnets soulmates were attracted to each other, pulled to the other by an invisible teether. Some people went out to try and kiss anyone they could to find their soulmates easier, but people like Otabek and Viktor threw themselves into their work. 

'If I'm going to repel someone anyways, might as well do it before anything ever has a chance to happen,' they would say when people asked why they weren't out looking for their soulmate. Viktor threw himself into his dancing, Otabek would go days without seeing his cousin. When he got old enough to have a passion of his own, he threw himself into it as well. His escape was music, you could always find Otabek with a pair of headphones on. 

As soon as Otabek graduated high school, he ran to the United States to follow in his older cousin's, Viktor, footsteps to go to Julliard. With Viktor there as a teacher, it was easier for him to get accepted, but he still had to work his ass off to prove his worth. He'd spend night after night in the mixing studio, making song after song to impress his teachers, the school board, and most importantly the record executive that he hoped would give him a job after school. 

After graduation, Otabek got his dream job at Virgin Records. He was producing works now, anyone from unknown artists to the biggest names in the industry, had records he edited. After his first check was cut, he realized he had no one to buy anything fancy for. 

"Viktor," he greeted his cousin through the tinny service on their phones. 

"What," Viktor asked in reply. He sounded crabby and like he'd just woke up, but it was Saturday morning so that was to be expected. 

"I just got my first check! We have to celebrate since you’re the only one I know here." 

After some groaning and growling Viktor agreed. That night they started their tradition of going out twice a month on Saturday night somewhere new. In the two years that they'd been doing this, they'd tried almost half of the restaurants in their suburb. Their family night, as they called it, was their day to associate with the living world for longer than groceries or appointments since mostly they only went out to work. 

"You've got to try this new restaurant I found." 

The words were spoke by his best friend and cousin Viktor, and Otabek never imagined in his wildest dreams that those nine little words would change his life forever. 

Nikolai's was a special place for them, it was one of the only places that served food that wasn't in little fingernail sized portions or fifty dollars for the meal. The old Russian who owned it barely spoke English, but the younger boy that would help on the weekends was the reason Otabek regularly went back. The boy was a few inches shorter and younger than him with long blonde hair he wore in various braids and a Russian accent. Yuri, that Otabek liked to secretly call Yura in his brain, was everything Otabek wanted in a boyfriend and everything he wished he had to call his own in life. More than anything he wished he could be with Yuri, but with everything that surrounded relationships without soulmates, he couldn't bring himself to ask the younger man out. 

He found out through the months and months he spent in the corner booth, that Yuri had moved to the states just the year before starting school at Otabek's alma mater. It was a great opener for them to speak whenever the younger boy had time to sit and talk with him. 

Otabek's favorite food to eat was the beef stroganoff. When he was there early enough for breakfast his order always consisted of syrniki, a type of pancake covered in cream cheese. For lunch he got ukha, that was a fish soup that he'd let Yuri make the decision of which fish to cook it with. Yuri had picked up on his regular orders and the time's he'd be there and began to have the food ready for him whenever he got there. 

"There's my favorite regular," Yuri praised on a Wednesday afternoon. They'd gone through the small talk already of learning the others favorite color and their ages, 24 for Otabek and 20 for Yuri. Now when they spoke it was of their lives instead of mundane things like the weather or sports. 

"And there's my favorite server," Otabek smiled back. It was slower, being a weekday and only 2 pm when everyone was still in school or at work. "How's summer break treating you?" 

"You know more than anyone, there is no such thing as summer break when you’re a dancer," Yuri laughed, "But it's good. Grandpa's been keeping me busy here when I'm not practicing." 

"Regular again today," Yuri asked twisting his hair between his fingers. 

"Of course, you know me so well. I'll take one of those kvass drinks too today. It's been a long day." 

As Otabek sat in his booth he waited for Viktor to get there, he was running late from a small summer class he taught and told Otabek to wait for him at the restaurant. He looked around at the bland decorations he'd always wanted to tell Yuri and Nikolai to fix up, but always decided against. The booths were red covered vinyl that didn't feel too well on the backs of his thighs in the warm summer months, and the tables were plain black graphite. The walls covered in white with a few posters and news articles of Yuri's dances from here and Russia. The younger boy read him a few of the articles in Russian when he'd first befriended the other. Even with their months of learning everything about each other their conversations were mostly short answers. Both having a lot to say, but little to repeat out loud. It was slow going in the beginning, but after sometime they learned to communicate with their looks. When Otabek was sad the younger boy would see the lines more predominant by his eyes and his own face would change to make whatever ailed Otabek to fade away. 

Their time together had started out as opposite sides of the booth, but for some reason today Yuri sat down next to Otabek when he brought his food out. 

"Do you think you'll go back," Otabek asked randomly swallowing his soup and hoping his voice and features didn't give away how sad he would be if Yuri left him. Yuri gave him a confused look with his head tilted to one side. "To Russia. When you're done with school will you stay here or will you guys move back?" 

"Probably not," was all Yuri replied. 

"Will you ever move back," Otabek asked quickly before choking a drink of the non-alcoholic fermented rye bread. 

"What?" 

Otabek wasn't sure what to say next. He put down his spoon and faced his friend. Otabek's olive colored eyes searched Yuri's jade eyes, looking for anything there that could tell him why today was different. Why Yuri had decided to sit next to him. Why his mouth decided to ask what his heart didn't want to. What their futures held- if there even was one. 

"Yuratcha." Yuri's grandpa yelled at him. Saving him and Otabek from having to explain more of their feelings. For a brief moment it seemed as if Yuri was going to lean forward to kiss him, the moment passed before either could do anything about it. 

"You look like you'd just seen a ghost," Viktor commented, having walked up after the exchange to sit across from Otabek. "You tell him you love him yet?" 

Otabek didn't even attempt to answer the jab. He just shook his head, if Viktor took it as him saying no or just simply shaking his head at Viktor's behavior was up to him. It wasn't something he felt should be spoken out loud, whether he had feelings for Yuri or not. He didn't think it mattered anyways, Yuri probably had a soulmate that wasn't him anyways. Someone he'd find if he went back to Russia, or someone he'd find in his dance classes. Hell, Otabek was sure that because Viktor and Yuri had so much in common they were sure to have been soulmates. But they didn't seem tethered to each other in any way. Yuri always spoke more to Otabek, looked at Otabek more. 

Otabek spent countless nights awake in his studio apartment mastering a mix for Yuri to make his ballet debut to. Yuri's 21st birthday was coming up and it was all Otabek could do, to not ask the other out for drinks. Twenty-first birthday's were meant to be with friends and families, not some guy that sat at his table in his restaurant taking up his work time with mundane things. His choice was made for him though when one night he got a call from an unknown number. Thinking it was just a telemarketer he answered. 

"Sälemetsiz be" He answered the phone in his native Kazakh tongue. 

"Beka?" The voice on the other line greeted him. The voice distorted, but Otabek was certain he knew who it was. 

"Yura?" He'd asked switching back to English, but forgetting to not use his nickname for the boy. 

"Hmm. I like it." 

"What- why- how-?" 

"After you left I found a note Viktor left saying to call you. I just got off of work. Would you like to join me for drinks?" 

"But you can't drink yet." 

"Tsk, I lied to you about my birthday so you wouldn't make a big deal about it. It was actually today." 

Otabek thought back to when he was in the restaurant that day. He should have noticed Yuri looked particularly more put together than he normally does. His braids that usually adorned his hair weren't there, allowing it to flow freely showing it's length was down to the bottom of his pecks. The slacks Yuri normally wore to work, were replaced that day with tight leggings and a free flowing tank top. 

"Oh." Otabek let out a breath before sucking one in to remind him he was supposed to use words since Yuri couldn't see him. "I should have known. Your outfit wasn't exactly work appropriate. I just thought you were going to dance practice after." 

"You noticed my outfit?" Yuri sounded surprised for the confession and Otabek wanted nothing more than for the ground to swallow him up at another slip of his tongue. 

"Sure, drinks sound fun. Where do you want to go?" Otabek shot back, hoping a change of topic would make this conversation go easier. 

Yuri told him about a bar he'd heard about and that he wanted to meet Otabek there. The bar was called Therapy, it was a two story gay bar on 52nd street. After Otabek dressed in a nice pair of tan slacks he wore to his meetings and a plain black shirt paired with it, he set off for the bar. When his Lyft arrived he looked around seeing people waiting outside to get in. Instead of waiting, he walked up to the front and gave the bouncer his name and Yuri's. As expected, Yuri was already there and told the bouncer to let Otabek in when he arrived. Looking around Otabek was astonished by the cleanliness of the bar, he hadn't been in many but the ones Viktor always took him to were dive bars. This bar, however, had walls lined horizontally with wooden beams. The steps to the up stairs were free standing and open to look through. 

When he reached the top floor he looked around, finding Yuri sitting at the bar facing him. Yuri hadn't changed his clothes, but he had put two braids in his hair, one on either side of his head wrapping around to a ponytail in the back with the rest of his hair in curls flowing freely. Otabek didn't want to admit it to anyone, but the magnetic pull of Yuri seemed stronger when there were bodies all around him and they only had eyes for each other. 

"You made it," Yuri exclaimed when he saw Otabek walking towards him. He jumped up and ran to give Otabek a giant drunk hug. 

"How many have you had," Otabek questioned after he got Yuri's hair out of his mouth. 

"Tsk. Don't ask stupid questions. Just join me for the next one. They're called Liquid Cocaine." Yuri replied holding his glass up. "You have to have one!" 

Otabek followed Yuri to the bar where he drank the liquid that Yuri told him he should. Otabek didn’t like it much and decided to just stick with beer for the rest of their time there and let Yuri have his fruity cocktails. 

Yuri was definitely a lightweight. His Russian blood flowing though him doing nothing to help him drink better. He was two sheets to the wind before Otabek even finished a drink. Ordering water for Yuri and a Lyft to take them back to his apartment was number two and three on Otabek's to do with. Firstly, he had to get a drunk Yuri off of his neck. 

"I really like you, Beka."  
"I think I might be your soulmate. Look, I can kiss you and not be thrown across the room."  
"Do you like me?"  
"Will you miss me If I go home to Russia?"  
"I don't want to leave you. I can stay here with you." 

The phrases rolling off of Yuri's tongue in a slurred whisper of Russian and English. It took all of Otabek's focus to understand them, and even more not to grab Yuri and give him a proper kiss against his lips. But, Otabek was a gentleman after all, and finally was able to get Yuri to let go of his earlobe and drink some water so Otabek could compose himself to call the Lyft. 

Yuri was a sleepy drunk. The moment they got into the car, he lay his head on Otabek's lap and was out like a light. Otabek ran his hands though Yuri's hair on the way to his apartment. He knew there was a conversation coming that he wasn't sure he wanted to have, nor was he sure Yuri would understand. When they got to Otabek's apartment, he picked up the sleeping boy and carried him bridal style into his building. Once they got to the room, Otabek let himself in and carried Yuri to his bed. 

"Sleep tight kitten," he whispered into Yuri's hair. Kissing his hair, Otabek got up and retrieved blankets and fell asleep on the couch. 

The next morning he work up to Yuri sitting on the coffee table with a cup smelling of black coffee in his hands. Yuri sat with his elbows on his knees leaning forward so his face was almost in Otabek's bubble. 

"Good morning," they growled out to each other in their sleep worn voices. 

"Coffee," Otabek grumbled before setting himself free from the blanket cocoon he'd formed in his sleep. 

"Beka." It was said in a whine, a questioning little voice that spoke volumes. 

"Yes, Yura." Otabek answered hearing the machine come to life to put his k-cup into. 

"Do- Did- I-" Yuri kept stopping. He wasn't sure what to say, nor how to say it. 

"I believe I am, and so does Viktor." Otabek answered taking pity on Yuri's stumbles. 

Even with Otabek's back towards him, he knew that Yuri was staring slack jawed at him. It wasn't as if it was taboo in anyway to talk about one's soul mate so openly, even if just questionably. Nor was it strange for people to not know for months that they were betrothed. It took until Yuri was drunk last night to see. Though there is a grey area in soulmates with drunken hook ups, something about the electricity that Otabek felt from Yuri's lips told him that grey area meant nothing to them. This was real. 

When Otabek's cup was made he turned back towards Yuri. The boy's lips were moving in silent words as if he was trying to work out how he couldn't have seen the signs either. Otabek sat with his coffee and waited for Yuri to come back down to Earth. 

Yuri clenched and unclenched his hands on the cup, his mind swimming with the new information. He'd thought before they may have been. Wishful thinking, he'd chalked it up to when Otabek had walked into his restaurant. Tall, thick with muscle, and an undercut that Yuri didn't even know he'd love until he saw it. Ever since, he'd told his grandpa to call him whenever Otabek came in so he could serve him. Living upstairs to the restaurant came in handy more often than not when he was supposed to be practicing or sleeping, all Nikolai had to do was pound on the ceiling and he cleaned himself up as best he could before pretending he was just in the back cooking. Today was the first day he'd been just hanging out when the knocks on the floor came. It was the first time he'd showed Otabek what he truly looked like without making himself up. 

"I need to change." They were the first words that came to his mind because they were the first one's he could think of after remembering he'd been in the same clothes for longer than he liked to be. 

Otabek's answer was to get up and grab Yuri's hand to drag him back to the room he'd slept in. He opened a few drawers before silently setting the clothes onto the bed and closing the door on his way out. 

Yuri stared at the clothes. They were going to be huge on him, he didn't think he'd be able to fit into them, his body more lithe than Otabek's. The clothes swam on him, at least three sizes too big. He pulled the strings on the sweats and tied them in a tight knot around his hips. The shirt he rolled into a tail in the back before taking the elastic band from his hair and tying the excess shirt in it and tucking it in the curve of his back. 

Taking a deep breath, Yuri knew what he wanted to do. He found the bathroom and rinsed his mouth out before returning to the living room. Returning to his place on the coffee table he stared at Otabek. Searching his maybe soulmates face for any signs of restraint he should take, when he found the eyes looking back into his as open as his own were, he leaned forward. 

Slowly they moved towards each other, waiting for the strike of electric magnetism that would throw them from each other's space. Only, the force they felt was pulling them closer. The teether pulling and pulling until it reached the point of not being able to push back. Their lips met, a quick peck. One pair of glossed Listerine lips and one pair of coffee dried lips. The pause for the inevitable came and went within a breath before Otabek pulled Yuri forward. 

"I told you," he spoke quietly before pressing his lips to Yuri's again. This time their kiss longer, tasting. Otabek let out a breathy chuckle at the taste of mint that greeted him on Yuri's tongue. Yuri choked on his breath at the sugar intake he tasted on Otabek's tongue from his coffee. When they finally pulled apart Yuri found he was sitting on his knees next to Otabek on the couch, having crawled over to the cushions to get a better angle on the kiss. 

"Yura, please don't leave me." Otabek begged. His hand still on Yuri's cheek his eyes glassy with unshed tears. 

"Never. There's nowhere I'd rather be than here with you." Yuri honestly wasn't even sure he wanted to go back to Russia after graduation. He had been playing around with the idea of talking Nikolai into staying and they'd run the restaurant together with him still working part time between auditions and performances. Reason before was by necessity, they had yet to pay off the rent and Yuri didn't want to just leave before it was paid off. Desire and want of the life he could have with Otabek was now the reason he wanted to stay. 

-x-  
Six months later.  
-x-  
"Are you all packed," Otabek asked Yuri over speaker phone messing with the knobs on his station for the bass of the song he was working on. 

"Yea. Viktor talked to my teachers and their giving me the weekend off so that I can move in with you," Yuri replied. Otabek could tell he was doing some kind of Yoga stretches with the way his voice sounded tight. 

"Fantastic. I'll be at your apartment in about an hour to grab your stuff. Viktor and his soulmate Yuuri are helping too." Right after Otabek came clean to Viktor about Yuri actually being his soulmate, Viktor surprised him by telling him that he'd found his own soulmate in the form of one of his tap dancing students. 

"I still can't believe that." Yuri commented with a barfing sound after. "Just tell them to keep their hands to themselves. 

Otabek finished the last touches on the song he was working on before he left and picked up Yuuri and Viktor from Julliard. They piled into the moving truck and set out for their long trip through traffic to get to Yuri's apartment. Once everything was packed and ready to go, Yuri called everyone to sit down to eat dinner with his grandfather. 

"Grandpa," Yuri started after they all sat down and caught their breaths. "You already know Otabek and Viktor, but this is Yuuri. He's Viktor's soul mate." 

Nikolai said his pleasantries before everyone closed their mouths to eat. Pelmeni was passed around on one giant plate to everyone. The Dumplings consisting of a meat filling wrapped in thin, pasta dough caused everyone to stop their conversation to enjoy its flavors. 

"This is amazing. Why didn't you ever push me to eat these?" Otabek asked after he'd already ate five. 

"Cause pirozhki is better," Yuri shrugged. 

"What," Nikolai scared them all yelling to Yuri, "You never fed him pirozhki? It's your favorite. I thought it'd be the first thing you shared with him when he walked through the door." 

After some more conversation, that Yuuri had changed when he saw that Yuri didn't want to answer, and food it was time for them to leave so Otabek could get Yuri moved into his own apartment. That move went a little slower than the first to the truck. When the truck was unpacked and everything was in its spot. 

"Yura, you don't mind I have a little work to do. I had to leave early to get all of this done. I've just got to listen to what I have and I'll be able to devote the rest of the night to you." Otabek sounded almost begging like he didn’t want Yuri to be upset with him for having to work. Yuri just tisked at him and sat down on the couch to look at the movies Otabek owned to find something to entertain himself. 

An hour later he was still bored out of his mind and figured it best to just cook his own pirozhki to show Otabek how amazing they were now that he didn't have to share with the other Yuri or Viktor. He found the ingredients he needed and began cooking the meat he would put in the dough. With the meat cooked enough he sat some on the pan he'd cook them on and began rolling the dough around each pile. He ended up with six and sat three on a plate for himself and three on a plate for Otabek, before heading to the kitchen table where his boyfriend sat with headphones on. 

Otabek glanced up from his notepad to say his thanks before grabbing one off his plate and popping it into his mouth. The moan of satisfaction that came from his mouth was music to Yuri's ears. A bright read flush staining his cheeks, Yuri leaned over and gave Otabek a small peck on his cheek. 

Yuri looked down when he tried to reach for another and saw that he'd ate all of his food. Glancing over he saw Otabek still focused on the music with all of his pirozhki, but the one bite he took, untouched. Yuri slid his hand over to Otabek's place hoping to be stealthy. 

"Mine," Otabek growled out and grabbed Yuri's wrist before it could reach his mouth and took the whole pirozhki into his mouth. Chomping loudly with his mouth open looking at Yuri just to make him more upset that he wasn't eating it. 

"You're mine too, Kitten. Always." Otabek acknowledged softly before taking his headphones off and kissing Yuri. Business could wait, he had to break in his apartment with his boyfriend first. 


End file.
